These glazed carrots are tender carrot coins simmered in a mixture of brown sugar and butter and topped with a sprinkling of parsley. An easy and inexpensive side dish that’s perfect for a holiday meal or an everyday dinner.
My kids love carrots, especially creamy carrot salad, honey roasted carrots and candied carrots. We also really enjoy simple glazed carrots which take just minutes to put together. This is one of my go-to side dishes!
Table of Contents
I always keep a bag of carrots in my fridge. They’re inexpensive, stay fresh for weeks, and you can do so many things with them! One of my favorite ways to prepare carrots is this easy glazed carrots recipe. All you need is 5 ingredients and about 15 minutes and they’ll be ready to serve. Offer your carrots alongside hearty main course dishes such as stuffed bell peppers or lemon pepper chicken.
Glazed Carrots Ingredients
- Carrots: I typically cut whole carrots into slices for this recipe. You can also cut your carrots into sticks, or use bagged baby carrots.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter will both work just fine.
- Brown Sugar: I typically use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar is also great if you prefer a more pronounced molasses flavor.
- Salt: A bit of salt helps to balance the sweetness of the brown sugar.
- Parsley: I like to add a sprinkle of fresh parsley for flavor and color, but this is an optional step.
How Do You Make Glazed Carrots?
Place your sliced carrots in a pan with water, then simmer them until they are just tender. Drain off the water, then add butter, brown sugar and salt to the pan. Cook the carrots for 4-5 minutes or until a glaze forms. Add the parsley if you’re using it, then serve immediately and enjoy.
Tips for the Perfect Dish
- Make sure your carrots are cut into uniformly sized pieces so that they cook at the same rate.
- Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. You can reheat your leftover carrots on the stove over low heat for 5-7 minutes.
- You can cut and peel your carrots up to 3 days before you plan to make this recipe.
Quick Tip
Want a hands off approach to glazed carrots? Try my slow cooker glazed carrots.
Recipe FAQs
Carrots are a super healthy vegetable. Carrots are loaded with fiber, Vitamin K, beta-carotene, and antioxidants. These veggies are also thought to improve your vision, prevent certain types of cancer, slow down the aging process and they also help prevent infection.
The primary ingredients in glazed carrots are fresh carrots, butter, brown sugar, water and seasonings.
You can prepare your carrots up to 2 days before you plan to serve them. Reheat the leftovers in a skillet on the stove until warm, and add the parsley right before serving.
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Flavor Variations
This is a simple recipe that is easy to customize to suit your tastes.
- Sweetener: You can substitute honey or maple syrup for the brown sugar if needed.
- Vegetables: I sometimes add other root vegetables to this dish such as parsnips, thinly sliced sweet potatoes and even yellow beets.
- Toppings: Finish your carrots with a sprinkle of nuts such as chopped pecans or toasted sliced almonds.
- Add-Ins: Feel free to add other flavors such as a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger, a squeeze of lemon juice or even a dash of vanilla extract.
Whether you choose to serve glazed carrots for a special holiday dinner or serve them alongside a simple roasted chicken on a busy weeknight, this dish is sure to be welcomed by all.
More Side Dish Ideas
- Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Stovetop Mac and Cheese
- Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
- Parmesan Zucchini
- Garlic Butter Mushrooms
Glazed Carrots Video
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Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs carrots peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley optional
Instructions
- Place the carrots in a large pan and add 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring the carrots to a simmer
- Cook for 8-10 minutes or until carrots are tender. Drain off any excess water.
- Add the butter, brown sugar and salt to the pan. Stir to coat the carrots.
- Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a sauce has formed.
- Sprinkle with parsley if desired, then serve.
Notes
- Make sure your carrots are cut into uniformly sized pieces so that they cook at the same rate.
- Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. You can reheat your leftover carrots on the stove over low heat for 5-7 minutes.
I sweetened with maple syrup – it leaves a less sweet aftertaste. The next day, I put all the leftover carrots in the Turkey Vegetable Soup.
great recipe im only 12 and i made these carrots two years in a row love them and so does everyone else they are amazing.
Hi , I’m looking for a recipe for Thanksgiving and this looks delicious and simple. Can I make the day before and just reheat in the oven? Will they reheat well? Thanks. Love your recipes.
That should be fine but I’d reheat on the stove over low heat!
Has anyone tried this recipe with shredded carrots? I have some shredded carrots I need to use up. Thank you.
I don’t think it would work, shredded carrots will not hold their texture!
I like for the sauce to stick to the carrots. Would you say add a little cornstarch may e to thicken it up a little?
Yes you can use 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with two teaspoons cold water!
Thank you for this recipe!
I have a question about keeping the finished glazed carrots on the *warm* setting of a slow cooker for a full 2 hours. (A potluck after church).
Do you suppose the quality would suffer if I did that?
I’m still on a learning curve using a slow cooker. Thank you!
Am also interested in the same question?
That should work fine!
Great tasting. Even my family members who sneer at ‘vegetables’ liked it!